CIT Students’ Union Magazine Volume Nine - Issue Five
10 New Years Resolutions
Raising Money for Cork Homeless
Latest CIT News
Competitions & Great Prizes
expliCIT editorial CIT Students’ Union Rossa Ave, Bishopstown Cork, Ireland. Telephone: 021 493 3120 Fax: 021 454 5343 Email: info@expliCIT.ie
expliCIT Staff Editor - John Lane Design & Advertising - Philip O’Reilly Contributions John Lane Floppy Soc Mick O’Mahony Mahmoud Draj Anna Murphy
John Grant CIT Lions Club Caitríona Foley Brian Thoma CIT Societies Office
CIT Students’ Union President - Brian O’Sullivan (supresident@cit.ie) Vice President Education - John Grant (sueducation@cit.ie) Vice President Welfare - Caitríona Foley (suwelfare@cit.ie) Entertainments Officer - Eoin McInerney (suentertainments@cit.ie) Projects Officer - Gearóid Buckley (suprojects@cit.ie) Communications Officer - John Lane (sucommunications@cit.ie) Print Barnaville Print & Graphics LTD Freshford, Kilkenny. Advertising Opportunities CIT has almost 17,000 full and part-time students with over 1,500 staff. Why not use expliCIT to promote your business to this large audience? Copy deadlines, advertising rates and technical specifications are available from our website www.expliCIT.ie or upon request from the Publications Office. expliCIT magazine is published monthly by CIT Students’ Union. The views expressed in the magazine are those of their authors and are not necessarily those of CIT Students’ Union. All articles and pictures are the property of their respective owners and should not be reproduced without their permission.
We Need You! If you would like to contribute to expliCIT please contact Philip in the Publications Office, 1st Floor, Student Centre or email: info@expliCIT.ie
Welcome back Isn’t it great to be back to college?!?! More projects, study, exams, presentations… hats only for a few I’d suppose. Most of us think of it as more going out, partying, meeting new people, laughing at the plebs from UCC. Always stay positive, the year isn’t half over, instead we have another half to go. Does this help any of those depressing January blues? If it isn’t, you could be suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD syndrome. It occurs this time of year, December to February, but in December you are too wrapped up in exams and Christmas, and in February there is the Balls and Valentines day. In January there is just cold weather, empty wallets, and the return to college. Well turn that frown upside down! Your back to college. Your surrounded by friends. Consider your empty wallet a chance to test your resilience, and consider the cold and the wet, well, em, an inconvenience? Back to business. Most first years are off this month so it is up to us to get out on a Wednesday and Thursday night and not to let those UCC ‘people’ say anything about us! The college will be a bit quieter so take this chance to keep up your New Years Resolutions and get over to the gym (or the library depending on what your resolutions were) and keep it up. 2008 is upon us and it will be exactly what you make it for yourself. The Students’ Union are operating in full swing once again so if anybody should have problems in the college, or just need some advise or someone to talk to feel free to call up anytime. As for me, I’ve given up the cancer sticks so, on a personal note, to all my smoking friends – STAY AWAY! I’ve also started the seefood diet. It can be explained in one easy sentence – See food, Eat food. Good plan I think. Hope 2008 finds you well and also treats you well. Enjoy this months edition of expliCIT, John L
10 New Years’ Resolutions You Can Actually Keep! It’s that time of year again (the start), and the usual small-talk conversation starter on everyone’s lips seems to be, “So what’s your New Year’s resolution?” Suddenly the stress of eating more vegetables, giving up smoking, losing 10 pounds or saving a few euros is heavy on our shoulders. So what can we do? Start off small! We shouldn’t need an excuse to make our lives better, but apparently a number on the calendar seems to work, so here a few simple things you could try. Good luck! Go for a walk every day The old tried and tested “I’ll go to the gym every morning before class/work” tends to peter out after about 3 days, so why not start off on something a little less challenging? Go for a walk every day (walking to college doesn’t count, unless you usually drive!). Just 30 minutes of fresh air can help you to clear your mind and release lots of happy endorphins, making you all the more alert to study, or whatever it is you do after college. Plus if you walk a little more every day, you can eventually build up to alternating walking with running, a great cardio workout and a fantastic way to tone up and get fit, as well as being a very effective method of stress relief. Cut down on caffeine What’s your poison? Tea? Coffee? Coke? Those of us who drink coffee know about caffeine and its effects on our bodies. Tea and hot chocolate have less caffeine but are not completely free of it. Amazingly enough, a can of Coke actually has less caffeine than both tea and coffee, but when you combine this with the amount of sugar it contains, you’re still putting a whole lot of toxins in your body! While caffeine can have some health benefits if consumed in moderation, these are very much outweighed by the bad effects such as jitteriness, inability to sleep or rest, headaches and an accelerated heartbeat. As someone who averages a whopping 56 cups of tea a week, this is my specific resolution to cut down! Your body really will thank you for this one, because if you’re trying to go down the fitness route as well, too much caffeine can hinder building new muscle – so you can forget toning up! If you’re really finding it too difficult to cut down, at least try switching to Fair Trade products. Carpooling At a time when there’s so much being said about global warming, and more locally, parking, carpooling is a brilliant solution to both issues. Ask around your class or through sports clubs and societies if there are people in your area or en route to college that could do with a lift. Get people to contribute to petrol, which will help you to save money; and you’ll get that little glow inside of you for knowing that you’re helping to make the world a better place (and CIT car park a less stressful environment!).
Drink responsibly This isn’t a lecture to tell you to cut down or give up the drink altogether, but rather a few tips to help you be a little more responsible and safer when you do drink. It’s all the usual suspects – make sure you eat before you eat something before you go out; keep an eye on your friends; have emergency taxi money on you; don’t walk home alone; drink plenty of water when you get home to re-hydrate, and give yourself enough time to sober up before you even consider driving the next day. To find out more information about cutting down or working out how many hours it would take you to sober up after 6 pints, call into the Welfare office or see www.drinkaware.ie. Try something new You don’t need to climb a mountain or become fluent in a new language to give your mind a good workout. This could be as simple as attempting sudoku or a wordsearch – some of you might think that sounds a bit lame but even if you can’t get to the end, doing these kind of exercises will improve your logic, concentration and memory, which in return will help you take in more information when you study for that big exam. If you’re thinking about doing something on a bigger scale, how about volunteering for a charity, trying a new sport or joining a society? Remember, you can do all of these things right here in CIT! Try to get a friend to join with you: you can motivate each other to keep it up. Do something fun If you have something to look forward to, time will pass a lot quicker. When you know you have exams coming up or you go through something like a bad break-up, organise a fun event like a road trip or going to a theme park with your friends. Remember that full health means being healthy physically and emotionally. Be nicer Try giving someone one compliment a day, and mean it! They’ll feel better, and so will you. It’s very easy to be bitchy, a lot harder to change your ways but in the long term you will be a better person. Save! Try to save a few quid every week: even €20 a week will make you over €1000, and that’s a tidy sum to have coming up to a holiday or Christmas! If you can afford a bit more, open a savings account and you can build up a nice bit of interest on it. Be more organised If you’re the type of person that’s always asking someone else what class you have next or when the next project deadline is, or maybe you’re room looks like a tornado ripped through it, make a change! Clean your room – you’d be amazed what you’ll find, like a sock or a book you’ve been missing for months buried under a pile of rubble. Next: invest in a diary. A filofax can be a lifesaver, and once you get into the habit of writing down all your appointments and deadlines, you’ll know exactly what you need to do for the week, and you won’t run the risk of double-booking. Be more spontaneous If you’re already the organised person, it could be your style, your knack for bringing order to chaos, that keeps you in the game and makes you who you are. Resolutions should be a piece of cake then, right? Learn to take a risk. Make a New Year's To-Do List and on top write in big letters: "Be more spontaneous." Then, toss out the list.
In last month’s edition of expliCIT, fantastic news was reported of the CIT student, Patrick Doran, who won two international Gold Medal awards at the World Skills Competition for Plastering. This was an amazing achievement for both Patrick and the college who competed against many other nations including France, Switzerland, Japan, Republic of Korea, and Chinese Taipei. What was not acknowledged in expliCIT or even on the Institute’s own website was the CIT top management delegation that just had to follow in support almost 10,000km to Japan. Was our press officer even told about the trip? Don’t get me wrong, I'm all for supporting our own students but why did the top management of this college and staff who are not even from the competitors departments, have to attend? It is extremely unlikely that you would see some of these same staff standing in a boggy field, waving flags and supporting our sports teams in bally-go-nowhere. It would be a miracle to see them supporting the college rowing team or attend a convention organised by the Guild society, but when it’s a trip to the other side of the world it’s a different story. The 39th World Skills Competition was held in Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture from 14-21 November. Cork Institute of Technology top management including the President (Dr. Brendan Murphy), Financial Controller and Head of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering attended bringing along a recently retired staff member. It must have been a fantastic trip for them, and their partners, but meanwhile back in CIT we are advised that there isn’t enough money for basic academic facilities. As with any good Government Junket, good excuses are required explaining the benefits of the trip for any Freedom of Information requests and to justify it to any minions below you. While in Japan from November 11th - 20th, the President and Head of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering visited Chiba Institute of Technology (CIT) with the focus being "to explore the prospect of establishing formal links between the two Institutes based on mutual Interests." They must have just fired “CIT Japan” into google while reading up on the local attractions and jumped up and down with delight when they saw this. I can already see the future benefits of a joint venture between two colleges that are separated by thousands of miles. When questioned at Governing Body by the Students’ Union President, Brian O’Sullivan, about the amount of money that was spent on taking the CIT delegation to Japan, Dr. Murphy replied that it was to keep up to date with every aspect of a changing industry. While I do not disagree with the President as chief officer for the college attending such a formal event, it is beyond reason that other members such as the Secretary Financial Controller had to be in attendance. It is common practice and fully endorsed by senior management
that if a conference takes place, a small group attend and report back to a larger delegation. Why couldn't the President do this, after all he was on an official visit and not on a holiday with his buddies? Frustration with the management of this college is at an all time high amongst both students and staff. Staff email accounts are flooded each week with emails ranting about one issue or another. In fact, it got so bad at one stage that it was decided to bring forward the Institute’s mid term review of the Strategic Plan, to be seen to listen to some of these problems. This is having an adverse effect on attitude towards course delivery to students. In the past, most lecturers would have helped any way they can to solve a student problem but now they feel “whats the point” and who can blame them. In the SU office we have seen an unprecedented increase in complaints from students relating to basic requirements such as adequate teaching space and printing facilities for projects. Indeed frustration is at an all time high within the college and everybody is suffering as a result. When the public demanded information on the gross financial problems within the HSE, Mary Harney tippy toed around the questions, while only every speaking publically about positives. Over that period she managed to win a vote of no confidence and retain her job! Perhaps the management of the Institute have followed attentively to the events that unfolded and realised that direct, factual answers lead to further problems and it will all be fine if they shut themselves off from the rest of the Institute. For the past few years, members of this institute have become accustomed to the excuses of financial pressures that have delayed or stopped projects and services within the Institute. The management of this Institute say their hands are tied and this is the reason why so many years later the Student Centre is not fully operational and no sight of it ever being so. It’s also the reason why we are the only college in Cork without a crèche, which managerial blunders caused the project to begin and abort within a few months. We still have a college without any security personnel almost two years after management said that they would take the issue seriously. Students have been asked to bring in their own sheets of paper for college printers and are queuing to purchase a few cents of sheets each day as the college cannot afford it, yet management have no problem finding money for junkets or projects that suit them. Students are still operating out of cold damp prefabs while some management offices which are only open a few years have been refurbished again. This madness has to stop and management of this Institute should be forced to lead by example. Funding should be prioritised for genuine purposes that benefit students and if we don’t have money for this, we definitely shouldn’t have money for trips around the world. Do us a favour, stop the junkets and love your students long time!
Picture L-R: Caitriona Foley, Mairead O’ Sullivan (Cork Simon Community), Will Jacob, Brian O Sullivan, Brenda O Sullivan and Tania Shilvan
CIT Xmas Day Raises Money for Cork Homeless Community
CIT Crawford College of Art & Design Student Scoops All-Ireland Prize A painting inspired by people in everyday situations in their daily lives has scooped a prize in the inaugural year of Commercial Finance Ireland’s Art of Nurture, art competition. Emma O’Connell from Crawford College of Art & Design in Cork had her work exhibited at the Hugh Lane Gallery and received a personal reward of €3,000 in addition to a matched amount for her college.
Emma’s prize was presented to her by Minister Mary Hanafin who said: "Exhibition is the lifeblood of any practicing artist.~ The Art of Nurture competition provides students with a unique opportunity to exhibit their work. It gives them an opportunity to showcase their talent to the business community, and to raise their profile at a national level. It also gives students a commercial focus, looking at art in the world of finance and the ways in which both can connect.
Emma was among 15 finalists in this new, allIreland, student art competition all of whom were given the unique opportunity to exhibit their submissions to the business community, media and guests from the art world, at a special awards ceremony at Dublin’s Hugh Lane Gallery.
“Students also have an opportunity to meet with each other and to look at the work of students from all over the country.~ Most importantly, this competition encourages students to nurture their talents and creativity, it encourages students to participate and it highlights the value of artistic expression to all of us."
Tony Duffy, Managing Director of Commercial Finance Ireland said; “The challenge for the students was to create a visual representation of an aspect of the skills and expertise Commercial Finance Ireland brings to the corporate finance market such as Growth; Cultivation; Innovation and Support.
All winning art pieces will be incorporated into Commercial Finance Ireland and Lloyd’s TSB Commercial Finance’s future marketing campaigns, which are targeted directly at the business community.
“The creativity and standard of submissions exceed all of our expectations and we hope that this competition, despite being in its infancy, will grow to open doors for many talented artists, offering a unique form of support and helping to showcase student art to the business community.” The Art of Nurture is an integral part of Commercial Finance Ireland’s association with art, which is used through its marketing and advertising campaigns to represent, visually, the ‘art of doing financial deals’.
The work of the students will reach influential decision-makers in the business sector including Brokers, Accountants, CEO’s, Solicitors and Venture Capitalists. The judging panel of Ted Ettershank, Lloyds TSB Commercial Finance; Katy Fitzpatrick of Dublin City Gallery The Hugh Lane; acclaimed Dublin artist, Felicity Clear; founder of leading design agency, Dynamo, Jamie Helly and Tony Duffy, considered the creativity of each piece in addition to the response to the very specific brief, before making their final decision.
“On behalf of Cork Simon community I would like to thank the CIT Students’ Union for the generous donation of €2778.50 raised on CIT Christmas Day 2007. As you are aware we depend a great deal on the generosity of individuals and the public to help fund our work. Your contribution is very much appreciated and will be used immediately to help us continue to provide these services for homeless people.” Mairéad O’Sullivan Cork Simon works in solidarity with men and women who are homeless, offering housing and support in their journey back to independent or supported living. Every night we provide over 100 beds for people in Cork who are homeless. Cork Simon Community Services include: 7-days a week Day Centre for people sleeping rough, offering access to doctors, nurses and counsellors; 44 beds at our Emergency Shelter on Anderson’s Quay; 32 beds in four high-support houses, providing homes to men and women with physical and mental health needs; 27 Independent-living apartments at four separate locations throughout the city. Cork Simon Community also offer a range of training, education, life skills and back-to-work programmes. At this time of the year Cork Simon’s resources are stretched as we strive to accommodate all of those who need our help during the winter months. Cork Simon’s Cold Weather Shelter was opened this Christmas and New Year to ensure that no-one had to sleep out of doors during the festive season. Ms O’Sullivan added, “We are very dependent on support such as your own to help fund our services to homeless people. Without your support we would not be able to continue working towards the elimination of homelessness. We really are very grateful”. Brian O’Sullivan, Student Union President commented, “It was extremely pleasing that such a significant amount was raised for this deserving local charity. In an event which generated such negative publicity for other reasons, it is fantastic to see such a positive and deserved accreditation for an event which is now in its 8th year. To all who contributed and helped out on the day, I on behalf of everybody in the Students’ Union, would like to thank you for your continued support and generosity”.
CIT Students’ Union President Happy New Year to everybody. Whether you lazed around the house continually eating, worked your way through or just spent every penny your worth on a good time over the holiday period I hope you enjoyed the Christmas break. For me it was a time to get the flu (like half the country), watch movies and empty my bank account! However one must not forget the year just passed. 2007 was a year that saw CITSU showing the country how it is done by staging the first safety week. A week which saw the country’s media descend on CIT, sparking similar programmes in no less than eight colleges in the last few months. Locally we saw the allocation of over €350k for refurbishments in Crawford College, funding which is grossly inadequate but a starting ground for further development. In 2007 we also saw the opening of Gala in the Students Centre as well as mass developments within the canteen area, both visually but also in the menus. Indeed this just gives a taste of what the Students’ Union is all about, results from hard work and dedication to help make CIT a better place for all.
For 2008 I relish the thought of further quarrels over finance and college rulings. One things for sure is that by the time you read this, Campbell’s bistro will be about to open in the Students centre. This will be a change from the current offerings within the college and one which took the SU years to obtain. Further more I hope to see a barber shop within the next few months also with the Student Centre. In April I plan to run Safety Week again in order to continue CIT’s fight against dangerous and reckless driving. As always we are here not just to deal with the major issues, we are also available to deal with the smaller individual issues that student experience. Anything goes here and 2007 saw a high success rate for the SU in this area. Rag week is on the way so keep a few bob on the side for this. This is a week to enjoy and it is a well earned break from a hectic study schedule. Finally a giant thank you, to all who helped raise money on Christmas Day. In all €2778.50 was raises which is an impressive sum and of great benefit to the Cork Simon Community. Until next month, Brian
CIT Students’ Union Projects Officer It’s great to see familiar faces around college again. The break flew, I hope everyone had an exciting holiday season and that the sales treated you all well. For most of us now it’s back to the normality of studying and pulling all nighters to get through exams, while for the first years its farewell until February. The hallways seem a lot quieter and queues for the canteen are now a distance memory. 2008 holds new opportunities for us all, a chance to try something new, different or off the wall. Why not take up a new sport or join a society, Merv and the girls are always eager to see new faces. For those of us who haven’t been pulling their weight, the New Year can be used as a foundation for a solid term of knuckling down and catching up. Hope is not lost as 2008 also opens doors for new relationships, job opportunities and many more social gatherings.
I recommend setting realistic goals, both personal and financially, a friend of mine took a snap shot of her life January 2007, by detailing her life at that point, she took it out New Year’s Day 2008 and was astonished how much her life has positively changed, why not try it? Forget trying to get in on the last of the sales and start saving for Ball Season, first years are away for January, so tickets will not be on sale until February, so once they go on sale, be prepared to queue. Keep an eye out on Campus for news on your ball. Once again lads any problems no matter how big or small give us a shout, we are there for YOU! Regards, Gearóid
CIT Students’ Union Entertainments Officer Hope you had a good Christmas and are ready to have some more fun now that we’re back. We had a good first half to the year with Freshers Week, Halloween and all the rest of it. Christmas Day had SOME issues and I'm sure we can be a little GENTLER on Bishopstown for the second half of the year. Now we can all look forward to what's coming up in the near future
with RAG week and the Society Balls next month. We’ll let you know the line up for RAG week soon enough but I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed. Keep getting out and enjoying yourselves, and as always we’re here to arrange class parties. So call in to the office and lets start getting back into town Regards, Eoin
Do You Want to Join Our Rag Crews? We are looking for students to help us organise and raise money for charity during Rag Week 2008. To get involved, please call into our SU offices in the Student Centre, email event@cit.ie or during office hours telephone 021 4933120
CIT Students’ Union Vice President Education First of all I would like to welcome everybody back and wish one and all a very Happy New Year. I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas holidays and that it was a happy time for all. Well it’s back to college and study week is starting on the 28th of January. It’s a very valuable time to catch up on work and make sure that everyone is on par when it comes to study as exams and continuous assessment are highly important for everyone. You may notice the lack of first years around the place. Due to Semesterisation and Modularisation they are off until February as the majority had their first round of final exams before Xmas. This is the time of year when the kinks and problems within everyone’s courses should be completely and utterly resolved. If they are not please feel free to call into my office. Please do not forget I have a list of grinds available to all students and the Learning Support Centre (http://learningsupport.cit.ie) is working all year round. Remember the good guys and girls of Explicit are always looking for articles and reviews from students cause it is a student publication. So if you ever thought
of yourself as the next Clark Kent or Louis Lane and want to have a go the SU office will accept any articles that are presented. January is generally a quiet month but it really is the calm before the storm. February’s line up includes two society balls and of course the greatest week of a student’s life also known as RAG WEEK! Please remember that we here in the SU are here all year round working for every single student in CIT and to ensure that your year is the most trouble free and fun year of your life so if you have a problem call into us and we will do our best to help you out. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate firstly our reps who have been working hard on behalf of each of their individual classes to make sure things are the best they can be. Special thanks must go to the Head Reps and Site Presidents of our Satellite Campuses. Peter Molloy of NMCI, Tom Crowley of CSM and Nancy Craddock of CCAD who have been working extremely hard all year long and are an asset to their respective colleges. Look after yourselves and I hope everyone keeps to their New Year’s resolutions. Be Good, John
CIT Students’ Union Vice President Welfare Happy New Year and welcome back, here’s hoping you all got some nice things from Santa! The next few months are going to be pretty hectic with exams, RAG week and of course, ball season! If you’re trying to deal with exam stress, remember you can call in to us in the Students’ Union anytime and we can try to give you a hand with organising grinds or give you a few tips on destressing and managing your time. My major campaign for the New Year is Mental Health. Managing your thoughts and emotions is
one of the most important things you can do, especially at this time of year, and you really CAN do it! I’m currently organising a mental health awareness day for February, please keep an eye out for more information regarding the event, or to get involved please contact me in the Union office or on suwelfare@cit.ie. I’m going to need lots of help so please think about it! That’s all for now, Caitríona
Music Soc & Floppy Soc Gigs Join up with a society now! Call in to the Societies Office in the Student Centre or email mervyn.omahony@cit.ie
Send us Your College Party Photos for expliCIT Hand them into the SU Office in the Students Centre in an envelope with details of your class, the event in the photo and contact details to return the photos. You can also email them to pics@explicit.ie but please ensure that each photo is as large file size as possible and that the shot is up close and good!
See more pictures online at www.explicit.ie
GARGLE WITH WARM SALT WATER. Gargling a few times a day can relieve a sore throat. SUCK ON COUGH LOZENGES OR HARD CANDY. This can help to quiet a cough. USE SALINE NOSE DROPS. When applied to the nasal passages, saline drops help moisten the irritated skin and help to loosen mucus. USE VAPORIZERS AND HUMIDIFIERS. A vaporizer works by generating steam that can help to loosen secretions and make breathing easier. The possibility of spilling scalding water is a hazard. Keep a vaporizer out of the reach of children. A humidifier sprays cool mist into the air and can produce the same results as a vaporizer. However, both machines can become breeding grounds for mildew and other types of organisms. So, it is necessary to clean and disinfect this equipment according to the manufacturer's guidelines. A vaporizer or a humidifier is particularly useful for small children for whom a cold becomes the "croup."
Although both colds and influenza are caused by a virus, they are not the same disorder. The common cold can be the result of one or more of over 200 different viruses capable of causing an infection once they invade the body. Influenza or the flu is caused by multiple strains of two types of single family viruses that change their characteristics every year. The types are conveniently called Type A and Type B (There is a a third type, C, that rarely causes disease in humans). Different strains appear every year, so that one year's immunity is not completely effective the next year. Colds cause a sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, a low-grade fever with muscle aches and a general sick feeling. They may also cause laryngitis. Influenza is typified by a high fever, a dry cough, much worse aching all over, and feeling terrible. Colds generally last about a week, the flu up to 2 weeks. Colds are more common during the winter, but the flu appears almost exclusively during the winter months in the northern hemisphere. Both cold and flu viruses enter the body through the nose and mouth, where they begin to invade the sinuses, throat, and upper breathing tubes (trachea and bronchi). Most healthy people can successfully recover from colds and influenza on their own, developing some degree of immunity to subsequent infections in the process. The flu, however, can be very serious for the elderly. A physician should evaluate older patients carefully if the flu is suspected. What Can I Do at Home to Feel Better When I Catch a Cold or Flu? Once you are infected with cold or flu viruses, all you can do to feel better is treat your symptoms while your body fights the virus. During your recovery, the following may help you to feel better: REST. Rest is important especially when you have a fever. You will often feel tired from cold and flu symptoms, and you may require more sleep than usual. DRINK PLENTY OF FLUIDS. Fluids will help loosen mucus in your nose and chest. They also will help to prevent dehydration caused by fever. Water, fruit juices, ice pops and ginger ale are some examples of fluids that may help. STOP SMOKING AND AVOID SECOND-HAND SMOKE. Cigarette smoke is a respiratory irritant that will only make your symptoms worse.
Although no medication can cure colds or flu viruses, there are many over-thecounter and prescription drugs available to help relieve the symptoms associated with these illnesses. It is estimated that Irish people spend close to â‚Ź2 million each year on cold remedies. Many cold and flu drugs contain more than one medication. It is important to read labels carefully. Choose products that treat only the symptoms you have. Check with your doctor before giving any cold or flu medicine to children. Listed below is a guide to the ingredients found in over-the-counter cold and flu medicines: ANALGESICS These medications relieve muscle aches and pains and reduce fever. ANTIHISTAMINES These medications block histamine, a substance that is released in response to allergies, which causes a runny nose and sneezing. Antihistamines help dry a runny nose and watery eyes. They often cause drowsiness. EXPECTORANTS These medications work by thinning mucus so that it can be coughed up more easily. ANTITUSSIVES These medications work by quieting or suppressing a cough. They are usually recommended for dry coughs when you are not producing mucus. DECONGESTANTS These medications can be administered either orally or by nasal spray. They work by constricting or tightening the blood vessels located in the membranes of the nose and air passages. This action forces much of the blood out of the membranes so that they shrink and the air passages open up again. Take these medications as directed by your physician or the label on the container. Read the labels carefully. Check with your pharmacist about possible interactions and duplications of ingredients in both over-the-counter and prescribed medications
The Management & Staff of the Rochestown Park Hotel would like to wish all CIT students and a Happy New Year. We Look Forward to seeing you soon at the Annual CIT Society Balls. Thank you for once again making us your Number 1 Ball Venue!
CIT Floppy Soc News & Events Floppysoc has gone through a very successful period this term I'm sure you'll all be glad to know. We have gone on numerous outings and organized an event or two for the enjoyment of the students. Our first official night out was a simple Bowling Nite that was held in the Mardyke. Fun was to be had by all who attended. The night began at half eight and went on to the early hours of the next morning. We each enjoyed a complimentary game of bowling along with some free food and games of snooker. We also got shiny wrist bands to include us in some special offers and such that night. Our annual Halloween party took place in the loft bar on October 31st where there was a tremendous turn out. A huge effort was made by all in the creativity of their costumes as we had everything from superheroes to directory inquiries. There was DJ Joe Mac also presenting that night who kept the crowd on the dance floor. Fun games and prizes where to be had by all. Then there was our Speed Eating competition that was held in the Bishopstown Bar. We had an astounding turn out for this event. We had four people contendants in the speed eating competition where our participants gorged themselves on approximately 50 hotdogs.. We had a Christmas raffle in early December which was a huge hit with the students. Everyone was in for the draw to win one of many gifts. Our gifts ranged from fully loaded hampers to games, dvds, selection boxes etc. All Benefits of
this raffle went to the COPE Foundation who thanked us all in helping to make a happier Christmas for numerous people. Over the academic year a total of seven Society balls take place. They are the highlight of the year for many students and a great time is always had. The price for CIT balls is €25 and €27 for the full event and between €10 and €13 for the afters. Save some of your money as the Society balls start in March!! "Computers and Chemical Engineering Ball & Pic & Mix Ball" Last year, once again, our themed ball was a massive success, over 1300 students turned out in force and partied the night away. J90 and Blue Moose were both class in their respective rooms. It was great to see so many of the students turned up with their own masks and another few hundred wearing the ones we provided. This year theme is going to be unreal…‘never been seen before…watch out for the next expliCIT edition to find out more. We at Floppysoc thank you all for your patronage to our society and hope you have a lovely Christmas. Watch out for other great events like our annual Easter party, Paintballing and much more. Check out our website for a full list of upcoming events, http://www.floppysoc.com & http://floppys1.bebo.com FloppySoc committee (more photos in centre pages)
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CIT Lions Club Raise Money for Prosthetic Limb Coin Chain Fundraiser The CIT Lions Club held its first fundraiser last December to raise money for Annie, a girl in Peru who lost her leg in a traffic accident and currently needs a prosthetic limb which costs €3,000, a third of this has already been raised and the CIT Lions Club can now add €550 thanks to the kind donations of many students and a few staff who gave very generously, and to those who gave we would like to say, Thank You! The event was a coin chain fundraiser, a first in CIT, it works by connecting coins together to from a chain along a prescribed path. Our path was from ‘Belfast to Bishopstown’, scaled down to fit inside the student centre, with a signpost marking each Institute along the Western seaboard. A prize draw was entered into by anyone who donated a euro or more, 1st Prize was a CIT Hoodie, 2nd Prize was a CIT Polo Shirt and 3rd Prize was a box of Lion Bars, won by Jan, Fiona & Kyra respectively.
What is the Lions Club? The CIT Students Lions Club is part of an international charity organisation that is nonpolitical and non-religious. It is usually set up in towns by the local business fraternity to raise money for the benefit of local causes i.e. housing for the elderly, special needs schools, youth soccer teams etc. where ever there is a need for those who could use a little help. Why have they set up in CIT? The District Governor (The Big Cheese!), Pat Connolly suggested that it may offer students a balance in their lives, like when you discover that there is more to life than owning nice things, when you realise that, they, are just things and not even the important things, then you may want to give a hand to someone who is struggling a little? Remember we are non-religious even though we may sound all ‘preachy’ and ‘righteous’ we just think we can help, that’s all. To find out more check out www.lionsclubs.ie or contact Letitia in CIT at lions.cit@gmail.com
Movie Reviews
by John Grant
Email Us Your Reviews to submissions@explicit.ie & if used we will give you FREE cinema tickets!
I Am Legend
The Golden Compass
Director: Francis Lawrence Starring: Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Alice Braga Details: USA / 100mins (15A)
Director: Chris Weitz Starring: Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Dakota Blue Richards Details: USA / UK / 117 mins (12A)
Will Smith is Dr. Robert Neville. A virus originally designed to cure cancer had a bit of a side effect that turned everybody else into blood thirsty crazy ass cannibals. Rob Neville lives in New York City alone hunting and gathering and basically surviving while trying to find a cure for this virus. A great show in my opinion full of fantastic acting (his best to date) from Will Smith and lots of jumpy moments. Definitely worth a watch if you enjoyed 28 days later.
The Assassination of Jesse James Director: Andrew Dominik Starring: Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Rockwell, Mary-Louise Parker Details: USA / 160mins (15A) This film has me absolutely boggled. I will fully admit that the acting by Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck is top notch. I have heard so many mixed reviews. The papers and critics and some real film lovers I know absolutely loved it but it is a very slow movie that lasts 2 hours and 40 minutes. I will not lie after the first hour I just wanted them to kill him. It has some beautiful shots showing loads of colour and many interesting camera angles but for me it could not hold my attention. The director is also responsible for the film Chopper which I truly enjoyed. Very much so, a miss I would not watch it again.
Based on the novel Northern Lights the golden compass is a fun show to watch. While it is something similar lord of the rings in a sense three books are being made into three movies and the category is definitely fantasy. A young girl named Lyra who of course is an orphan loses her friend to a mysterious group and travels north into the unknown to find him. Fans of the book have been pleased with the outcome of the movie and not having read the books before I enjoyed it. A good movie if you like pretty colours, animals, Daniel Craig or Nicole Kidman and not a lot of thinking necessary.
We Own the Night Director: James Gray Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Eva Mendes, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Duvall Details: USA / 117mins (15A) Bobby Green (Phoenix) is an ambitious New York club manager who is dragged into the crime underworld when the nephew of the club's Russian owner begins using the place as a base for his drug operations - attracting the attention of Bobby's Police Chief father (Duvall) and dedicated cop brother (Wahlberg) who want him to decide which side of the law he lies on. It really reminds me of The Departed but a kind of depressed and less colourful departed. A good show that goes a bit mad at the end. If you like cop movies and the 80’s this is definitely for you.
Gig Review by John Lane
Being the dedicated gig hound that I am, I found myself down in the Cruiscin Lán not so long ago to see a gig put on by the CIT Music Society – and let me just say from the offset, it was a pleasure. Original bands playing original music can sometimes be a shot in the dark, and this one payed off. First on were a band that I had known of previously, a band called High Water. Recently formed, this band captivated the true rocker in me and let it come out! High Water were obviously well used to playing in front of crowds, letting the audience sing on the mic in places and their lead guitarist came into the crowd for a spell, mid song, and was nearly crushed I might add! All four lads in the band were well able to play and sing, and their drummer had amazing talent keeping pace with one or two of the songs! They were top class and have definite possibilities for future appearances in the city, and hopefully outside of it too. Following were a band called Mannekin. To be honest, I never heard of this trio before, and I don’t know how! For me, they were the highlight of the night. Their guitarist played in a way that most could only dream of. Very technically and skilled, he has a future in music for sure. They were a rock band and played their songs perfectly – loud enough to kick ass, soft enough for the lyrics to come through to the audience. Afterwards, they were who all my friends were talking about, and a few others were talking about them too I’m sure. I will be going to see them again – definitely. “Headlining” the night were Burn Us Both. A heavy metal foursome that were indeed talented at what they played, but played so loud that it was, to be brutally honest, painful to listen to. Their songs were good, but over enthusiasm to ‘blow off the roof’ was their downfall. A shame really as they have a reputation as a decent group and I was quite looking forward to seeing them. I’ll see them another time and they can prove their worth. My ears should be back to normal after Christmas so I’ll be going out to more gigs again all going well. Hope to see you there, John L (more photos of this gig in centre pages)
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january2008 T S B R A E Y L R V F I W U Y
K I T I N A B Q B O R S E I D
F D C U S I X V E E H K B S G
F E Y I D H C G L D G Z S E J
A W P I L E O A F W D Z I I L
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J W A Y M D X T S Z A Y E E T
E M H S V M G E Q T J O T I K
T E C H N O L O G Y O U B C Y
Y R A U N A J E O Z T W X O C
D T O D S T R N C I A D N S W
H J D R C T C C T A G J S N L
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G I C K H I C K T J S X L U J
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